I suppose I really am 42.

(the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything!)

And I suppose it's reasonable that my eyes, my 20/20 vision of always, my perfect eyesight of yore... would start to fail.  (Sigh.)  I finally dragged my sorry self to the eye doctor for the first eye exam I'd had since I was in 6th grade and they did 'em in school after I couldn't read some small print in a catalogue and had to have someone else read it for me.  Yeah.  Really.

(Sigh.)

It turns out I need reading glasses, though I'm hearing those more experienced than I in the eyeglass-wearing population call them "magnifiers" more than glasses.  The prescription is for +1.5, which I gather isn't all that much.

So once my eyes undilated and I could see again, I dragged my even sorrier self to CVS and bought - count 'em - two pairs of reading glasses, since they were 2/$10 and it made sense to me.  I picked two different styles, since I couldn't decide.  One a thin metal frame in a hematite color, with rectangular lenses (Eric thinks these look better) and the other oval lenses in plastic frames in a classic mottled brown color my mother always called "root beer."  (Most of my friends prefer these.)

And to console myself, I also bought some 75% off Halloween decorations.  Because if you saw my recent Halloween post, you know I need more Halloween decorations.  But then, you can never have too many Halloween decorations.

That was Saturday.

On Sunday, I decided to embrace my reading-glass-wearing self, and realized I'd need to bring them to work with me.  That meant transporting them, and that meant risking damage.  I needed cases!

So I made 'em.

And I matched them up with the two pairs of glasses.

And then, me being me, I made another one for the shop!

I did them narrower so that your narrower style glasses, especially like reading glasses, won't slip out.  There will be more forthcoming, but the one above is made from cotton paw print fabric, cream and black linen solid fabric for the contrast band, cuff, and lining, and a fleece layer between the outer and lining to promote the safety of your glasses.

Cart Revamp

Before I get to the cart, I just want to remind everyone that this is the last week to enter our blog giveaway!  Don't miss your shot at our "For Your Face" gift pack!

OK, on to the cart... I needed more storage in my craft room/office, and wanted something inexpensive.  I knew Bed Bath & Beyond had these plastic carts, a dorm room staple, and that they were just $15, so I picked on up.  When I first saw them, they had black, white, or hot pink, but by the time I got around to buying one, they only had a couple of black ones left.

Thing is, I didn't really want a black plastic cart in the room.  I've got my sewing table, a wood-grain desk, and a wooden bookshelf that's been painted red.  Black plastic doesn't go.  Plus, it's utilitarian but ugly.

So I also bought some stone-textured spray paint in a tan/mauve color.  I knew I already had red acrylic paint in with my craft supplies.

First, I removed the drawers and sprayed the cart structure.  It came out really cool, and I let it dry in the garage.  Then I got my red acrylic paint out.  I didn't want a bright, cadmium red and I didn't want the drawers to be easy to scratch.  We do have three cats, after all.  Plus, dragging the drawers back and forth in the cabinet would scrape the paint off the sides.

The drawers are kind of a smoky plastic.  So I decided to pain the inside of the drawers to get a nice, deep red that wouldn't rub against the cabinet.

Each drawer took two coats of acrylic to get it a nice cover.

And then they went back into the cart, making a nice deep red drawer, and the cart went into its spot!

If you're wondering, by the way, that back photo is a shot of me and Eric on our way to a formal dinner dance.  The front photo is from my sister and brother-in-law's wedding.

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